{"title":"Ryunosuke Akutagawa","description":"\u003cp\u003eStep into the intriguing and multifaceted world of \u003cem\u003eRyunosuke Akutagawa\u003c\/em\u003e, one of Japan's most revered literary figures. Akutagawa, often hailed as the \"father of the Japanese short story,\" offers readers a profound exploration of human nature, often delving into themes of morality, existentialism, and the supernatural.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong Akutagawa's lauded works is \u003cem\u003eRashomon and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e, a thought-provoking collection that includes the titular story \"Rashomon,\" which inspired the acclaimed film by Akira Kurosawa. Other notable selections such as \u003cem\u003eHell Screen\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Life of a Stupid Man\u003c\/em\u003e provide gripping narratives that blend haunting imagery with psychological depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're drawn to striking visuals along with compelling storytelling, Akutagawa's works available in \u003cem\u003eGraphic Novel\u003c\/em\u003e format, like \u003cem\u003eAkutagawa's Rashomon and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRyunosuke Akutagawa's Hell Screen\u003c\/em\u003e, offer an immersive experience, bringing his timeless tales to life through art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor enthusiasts of thought-provoking literature, \u003cem\u003eMurder in the Age of Enlightenment\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRashomon and Seventeen Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e showcase Akutagawa's ability to weave intricate plots while exploring the depths of human psychology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer to Japanese literature, the collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa books available provides a captivating introduction to his literary genius. Each story promises to transport you to a world where the boundaries of reality and the surreal are beautifully blurred.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-life-of-a-stupid-man-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9780141397726","title":"The Life of a Stupid Man","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Life of a Stupid Man\u003c\/em\u003e is part of the Little Black Classics series, launched to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"What is the life of a human being - a drop of dew, a flash of lightning? This is so sad, so sad.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection features autobiographical stories from Ryunosuke Akutagawa, one of Japan's masters of modernist storytelling. These pieces offer a glimpse into his introspective view on life and existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Little Black Classics range celebrates the vast diversity and reach of Penguin Classics. With 80 books released in honour of Penguin's 80th birthday, the series spans the globe and centuries, taking readers from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe series includes stories that are both lyrical and savage, poems that are epic and intimate, essays that are satirical and inspirational, and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. \u003cem\u003eThe Life of a Stupid Man\u003c\/em\u003e is a compelling addition to this rich tapestry of literature, representing a profound moment in modernist storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46240078201068,"sku":"9780141397726","price":9.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141397726.jpg?v=1741225663"},{"product_id":"hell-screen-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9780241573693","title":"Hell Screen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroducing Little Clothbound Classics—irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas, and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAkutagawa was one of the towering figures of modern Japanese literature and is considered the father of the Japanese short story. This paradigmatic selection, which includes the stories that inspired Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film \u003ci\u003eRashomon\u003c\/i\u003e, showcases the terrible beauty, cynicism, sublime pain, and absurd humour of his writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46508200952044,"sku":"9780241573693","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27536263482273.jpg?v=1748735799"},{"product_id":"rashomon-and-seventeen-other-stories-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9780140449709","title":"Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA unique new selection, bringing together Akutagawa's undisputed masterpieces and several less well-known tales, never before translated into English.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRy\u0026amp;umacr;nosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is one of Japan's foremost stylists—a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty, and wild humour. \u003cem\u003eRashomon\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eIn a Bamboo Grove\u003c\/em\u003e inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as \u003cem\u003eThe Nose\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eO-Gin\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eLoyalty\u003c\/em\u003e paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants, and peasants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn later works such as \u003cem\u003eDeath Register\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Life of a Stupid Man\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eSpinning Gears\u003c\/em\u003e, Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46509505642732,"sku":"9780140449709","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780140449709.jpg?v=1748778209"},{"product_id":"three-japanese-short-stories-by-chiyo-uno-9780241339749","title":"Three Japanese Short Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh the cruelty of time, that destroys all things!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeguiling, strange and hair-raising tales from early 20th century Japan—Nagai's \u003cem\u003eBehind the Prison\u003c\/em\u003e, Uno's \u003cem\u003eCloset LLB\u003c\/em\u003e and Akutagawa's deeply macabre \u003cem\u003eGeneral Kim\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46534146982124,"sku":"9780241339749","price":6.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25196823482273.jpg?v=1749414860"},{"product_id":"murder-in-the-age-of-enlightenment-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9781805330295","title":"Murder in the Age of Enlightenment","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are short stories from an unparalleled icon of modern Japanese literature. Sublimely crafted and shot through with a fantastical sensibility, they offer dazzling glimpses into moments of madness, murder, and obsession.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA talented and spiteful painter is given over to depravity in pursuit of artistic brilliance. In the depths of hell, a robber spies a single spider's thread being lowered towards him. When a body is found in an isolated bamboo grove, a kaleidoscopic account of violence and desire begins to unfold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eVividly translated by Bryan Karetnyk, this mesmerising collection brings together a series of essential works from the master of the Japanese short story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46550097920236,"sku":"9781805330295","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/21317253482830.jpg?v=1749954176"},{"product_id":"akutagawas-rashomon-and-other-stories-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9784805318393","title":"Akutagawa's Rashomon and Other Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA famous samurai murder mystery is finally brought to life in graphic novel form!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA sword-swinging samurai, a corpse-robbing crone, and a falsely accused trans man stand at the centre of these four iconic tales, which unfold panel by panel in exciting manga form for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe stories in this volume by Ryunosuke Akutagawa—the renowned \"father of the Japanese short story\"—are:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRashomon\u003c\/em\u003e: A houseless servant pits morality against survival in a post-apocalyptic world where thievery and the desecration of the dead are necessary for survival.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn the Grove\u003c\/em\u003e: Conflicting statements and competing narratives call into question the notion of objective truth in a searing tale of rape and revenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOtomi's Virginity\u003c\/em\u003e: Pride, honour, and dignity are at stake when a young servant is confronted by an unexpected aggressor at her employer's abandoned house.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Martyr\u003c\/em\u003e: A pious Jesuit with a dark secret faces excommunication and death in 16th-century Japan, when Christianity was introduced and then banned by order of the Shogun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStunning graphic adaptations by mkdeville and Philippe Nicloux turn these iconic tales into thrilling page-turners, following in the footsteps of the famous Kurosawa film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853306941676,"sku":"9784805318393","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25574513483898.jpg?v=1759196135"},{"product_id":"ryunosuke-akutagawas-hell-screen-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9784805318232","title":"Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Hell Screen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA compelling horror story about the lengths an artist will go to for the sake of his art!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBased on a traditional tale, the plot centres around the great artist, Yoshihide, who despite his talent is rude, lazy and avaricious. His one saving grace is his love for his beautiful daughter, Yuzuki.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYoshihide is employed to create paintings for the Lord of Horikawa, who one day decides to employ Yuzuki as a lady-in-waiting in his household. Yoshihide is not happy about this, especially when he learns that Yuzuki has been the victim of a rape attempt. But Yuzuki refuses to name the perpetrator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYoshihide becomes furious. Having been commissioned by Horikawa to paint a folding hell screen depicting punishments in the afterlife, he tortures his apprentices so that he can depict human suffering more accurately. He then asks Horikawa to burn a beautiful woman, so this too, can be depicted realistically. Horikawa agrees, but it is Yoshihide's own daughter Yuzuki who ends up being burned to death. Yoshihide completes the hell screen painting, then kills himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs with much of Akutagawa's work, this ancient tale is reworked to emphasise contemporary dilemmas— in this case, artistic obsession, which Akutagawa himself is said to have possessed. This horrific yet compelling story continues to resonate with admirers of Akutagawa's work to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRecommended for readers ages 16+ due to mature themes and graphic content.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853952733420,"sku":"9784805318232","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25572903483898.jpg?v=1759227520"},{"product_id":"kappa-by-ryunosuke-akutagawa-9781805332480","title":"Kappa","description":"\u003cbr\u003eIn early 20th-century Japan, a lone hiker falls through a hole in the ground into Kappaland. This is a place ruled by amphibious creatures who share characteristics with tigers and turtles, but who, for all their strangeness, shed light on the human condition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In Kappaland children choose whether or not to be born, intellectuals think nothing of drinking themselves to death as part of a cultural demonstration, unemployed workers are saved the bother of supporting themselves by being turned into sandwich meat, and artistic rebels from the human realm are enshrined in the Great Tabernacle as saints. Gruesome as life there is in some ways, the Kappas are refreshingly honest about their practices, and it's a return to the world above that drives the narrator insane and sends him to the mental asylum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThis novel, the last work by icon of Japanese letters Ryunosuke Akutagawa, is a darkly comic and surreal satire, which challenges all the conventions of so-called polite society.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288534270188,"sku":"9781805332480","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/f0afc604c5364bccaff1d96ede411cdc.jpg?v=1770629945"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/ryunosuke-akutagawa.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}